Blossom Episode 12 Recap
> Blossom Recap
Dou Zhao knew that everything was Wang Yingxue's scheme, forcing her to return, while Wang Yingxue appeared smugly satisfied. Dou Zhao performed acupuncture on Cui Shi and prepared medicine packs for her recurring illnesses, instructing Zhao Zhangru on their use in her absence. When Cui Shi woke and found Dou Zhao had returned, she cried like a child. Cui Shi also realized that Wang Yingxue had deliberately caused her worry to trigger her illness.
Upon hearing that Wang Yingxue had already signed the marriage agreement, she became furious and wanted to confront her immediately. However, Dou Zhao stopped her, saying that she was now grown and had to face some things herself. Cui Shi blamed herself for being unable to protect Dou Zhao but trusted in her intelligence to handle matters, though she continued to remind her to be cautious.
Dou Shishu deliberately brought over some luxurious clothes for Dou Zhao, worried that her plain attire might embarrass the family in the capital. At this moment, the sound of musical instruments was heard outside. Cui Shi thought it might as well serve as a celebration for her birthday. Dou Zhao guessed it might be musicians passing by, unaware that the one playing outside was Song Mo.
Dou Zhao made an agreement with Cui Shi and Zhao Zhangru to await her safe return. Dou Zhao later went into the yard alone and planted some purple nine-layered flowers. Knowing that Song Mo was in the yard, she called him out directly. She thanked him for looking after her and for the music he played. Song Mo praised Dou Zhao as the most perceptive woman he had ever met, saying few women could see through situations so clearly.
Dou Zhao expressed her desire to learn from Song Mo's courage and decisiveness in resolving issues quickly. Song Mo returned an earring to Dou Zhao, which she recalled had been shot off by Song Mo with an arrow on a boat. She was surprised he had retrieved it. Lu Zheng had not been seen for several days.
Chen Qushui noticed that many new attendants had appeared in the residence, and Jiang Huisun’s condition seemed to have worsened significantly, as she coughed up blood daily. Chen Qushui looked worried. Dou Zhao voluntarily moved back home, and while Wang Yingxue outwardly welcomed her, she was secretly displeased. In private, Wang Yingxue demanded Dou Zhao curb her wild nature.
Dou Zhao agreed to listen to her in the future, but Wang Yingxue immediately punished her by ordering her to copy texts. Dou Zhao complied without a word. That night, Shopkeeper Zhao delivered new inkstones and paper. Upon opening the package, Dou Zhao found a message from Chen Qushui. This reminded her of an entry in Records of the Enlightened Age about Song Mo, which mentioned patricide and fratricide occurring this very year, along with his hair turning white overnight.
She realized it might not only involve the Duke of Dingguo but also the Duke of England. Dou Zhao instructed Chen Qushui to investigate further. Dou Ming visited Dou Zhao and suggested they go on a lake outing. She even helped Dou Zhao copy the texts assigned by Wang Yingxue. Dou Zhao suddenly felt that Dou Ming was completely different from how she used to be, though Dou Ming didn’t understand what she meant.
Hearing footsteps outside, Dou Zhao quickly extinguished the candle. Dou Ming hid on Dou Zhao’s lap, and this moment of closeness subtly changed the bond between the sisters. Later, Ji Yong and Song Mo sent over some copied texts for Dou Zhao. Dou Zhao noticed that Song Mo’s handwriting matched her own left-handed writing exactly, and Ji Yong’s was nearly identical. Suxin suggested using both, which brought a smile to Dou Zhao's face.
Ji Yong, now working for Prince Qing, arranged for the prince to witness Song Mo’s martial skills. Blindfolded, Song Mo shot arrows with unerring accuracy, hitting targets from a hundred paces away. Prince Qing was impressed and expressed interest in having Song Mo join his retinue. Song Mo, however, used his mother’s illness as an excuse to return to the capital.
Coincidentally, military unrest broke out at the border, and Prince Qing led troops to suppress the rebellion, sending Song Mo to deliver a proclamation to the capital. Upon Song Mo’s return, he found that his mother had passed away. Her spirit hall was set up, and his younger brother knelt before the coffin, explaining that their mother, during her final days, often called Song Mo’s name and refused to eat. Overwhelmed with guilt, Song Mo knelt and kowtowed.
A servant reported that the Duke of England was devastated and wished to see him. Song Mo hurried to his father, who was grief-stricken, holding a comb and lamenting the suddenness of his wife's death, almost as if believing she had merely gone to enjoy the flowers and would soon return. Before Song Mo could comfort him, Song Yichun produced a piece of mutton-fat jade, which had been a keepsake from Song Mo’s maternal grandfather to Jiang Huisun.
Song Mo recognized it immediately. Song Yichun accused Song Mo of having an illicit relationship with the maidservant Meirui. After Jiang Huisun’s death, Meirui had committed suicide, and an autopsy revealed she had been three months pregnant. Song Yichun claimed Song Mo was responsible, as he had returned three months prior but had never visited home.
Song Mo argued that servants and Lu Zheng could testify to his innocence, but Song Yichun refused to believe him, striking him and ordering his punishment under family law. Hearing that the Duke of England had closed his gates, Dou Zhao suspected trouble and insisted on saving Song Mo, despite being under house arrest herself. At that moment, Song Mo was being severely punished on Song Yichun’s orders.
Song Mo recalled the times he had been forced to carry out punishments on behalf of his father, who had never shown him warmth. He questioned why his father treated him this way, saying that if he was truly unwanted, he would never return. Song Yichun clenched his fists but remained unyielding, ordering that Song Mo be confined in the ancestral hall.
The next day, he intended to summon the entire clan to formally expel Song Mo and strip him of his title as heir. Locked in a woodshed, Song Mo gazed at the lantern Dou Zhao had given him after a play they attended together. The memory brought him a moment of clarity. He thought of his mother’s love and saw Dou Zhao struggling toward a spear—his mother’s weapon when she was alive.
In a daze, he thought he saw Dou Zhao approaching him. Upon opening his eyes, he found that it truly was her. Dou Zhao explained that without Chen Qushui’s help, she would not have been able to rescue him. Lu Zheng had also been locked in a secret chamber, but with Chen Qushui’s message causing chaos, they managed to rescue Song Mo.
Lu Zheng and Lu Ming coordinated the escape, but Lu Zheng was killed defending the gate, ensuring no one could pursue them. Song Mo was deeply pained that someone unrelated by blood would sacrifice themselves for him, while his own kin sought to harm him. He was especially moved by Dou Zhao’s disregard for propriety in risking everything to save him.
Dou Zhao blurted out that Song Mo had once saved her life, though she refused to confirm his suspicions that she was the same woman he had met at the play. While treating Song Mo’s wounds, Dou Zhao noticed a strand of white hair, reminding her of the Song Mo from her past life. Song Mo insisted on returning. His father was about to hold the ancestral meeting to strip him of his title, and family law was paramount.
Even the emperor would approve of his removal as heir. He believed that since he had entered a life-or-death situation, he could not afford to falter. His loyal guards’ lives were in peril, and his mother’s body had yet to be properly buried. What he needed now was not recovery but the ability to wield a blade again.
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